Music lovers attending the 15th Forecastle Festival next weekend should take a second while walking between stages to look around the waterfront grounds.

In nearly every corner you'll find a booth or fundraiser promoting environmental sustainability — from a 65-foot art wall to a trash-collecting trading post.

Your first thought might be that these things are just for show, an example of one more company using environmental awareness to seem relevant and on-trend.

But at Forecastle, sustainability is more than a gimmick. It's a passion as equal to the festival's identity as the music itself. And if you aren't buying it, that's because there's nothing to be sold.

Since 2006, Forecastle has promoted environmental sustainability by reducing its waste, subsidizing clean energy and partnering with like-minded organizations that are conducting projects internationally.

Behind the efforts is Forecastle founder JK McKnight, who remembers attending other music festivals where sustainability aspects seemed like afterthoughts and who wanted to do better at a festival of his own.

"Maybe I was just born a little differently, and I care more about things around my surroundings," McKnight said. "But I think it'd be great if it was less of a trendy, hip fashion statement that it almost is now and it was more like people ... doing it for the right reasons."

Benefits from partnering with Forecastle don't stop at the donations, however.

Perhaps just as important is the space the festival provides on-site for its partners, allowing them to reach a new generation of supporters they desperately need.

"We can't justify spending huge funds for marketing," said Katie Landry, a sales representative for Guayaki, a beverage company that funds reforestation projects in South America. "So that's why we love this model and the trend toward this."

Landry and other representatives from Forecastle's partner organizations said the festival's sustainability mission is no joke — and they're thankful to McKnight and his team for putting the issues front-and-center.

"It's very real to them," said Kiran Bhatraju, CEO of Arcadia Power, a DC-based company that audits Forecastle's energy use and provides credits to wind power facilities in its name. "I think they totally understand not only that it's important to them, but that to festival-goers this is meaningful as well."

Before you get the wrong idea, Forecastle isn't about shoving sustainability down attendees' throats.

Instead, McKnight and the partners hope to provide information that allows people to make decisions for themselves.

"We're trying to introduce people to a different lifestyle," McKnight said. "They can make very small lifestyle changes that over time will lead to a big change."

A few examples of small changes are choosing to ride a bike to the festival instead of driving a car; visiting a state nature preserve that's protecting biologically diverse land; or even just buying a beverage that's created using responsible methods.

"It really is true that we all depend on nature, whether it's clean air, clean water or just places to recharge and get grounded," said David Phemister, the Kentucky director for The Nature Conservancy. "... Making that link real is pretty fundamental to the world we all have and the world we're all going to inherit."

PLANET PARTNERS

One of the ways the Forecastle Festival promotes environmental activism is through its nonprofit foundation, which donates $1 of every ticket sale and money from additional fundraisers to partner organizations located worldwide. Some of the partners and their projects include:

» The Nature Conservancy — A nonprofit that funds programs in all 50 states and in 68 countries. In Kentucky, the organization is focused on improving the Green River by removing unused dams and purchasing land in central Appalachia to protect biologically diverse habitats.

» Kentucky Natural Lands Trust — A land trust focused on conservation efforts statewide. Funds from the Forecastle Foundation mostly go to the protection of Pine Mountain in Eastern Kentucky.

» Guayaki — An organic beverage company that specializes in yerba mate, a plant-based drink known to improve energy and focus. Funds from the Forecastle Foundation are given to the company's own foundation, which focuses on reforestation in South American countries where yerba mate is grown.

IF YOU GO

What: Forecastle is a three-day music festival that will feature headliners Weezer, LCD Soundsystem and Odesza.When: July 14-16Where: Waterfront Park, 129 River RoadMore info: Purchase tickets and find a full line-up at forecastlefest.com